Now Comes The Night
by BewareTheWeepingAngel
Summary: The Doctor, on his 13th regeneration, inhaled a gas fatal to Time Lords in the process of saving a planet and is now alone and dying, with only one person on his mind...


**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Doctor Who, it is property of BBC.**

**A/N: I got the idea for this one-shot when listening to "Now Comes The Night" by Rob Thomas. Originally I hadn't wanted to write this until I had finished Darts and Domestics, but the plot bunny, who had been poking me with a stick, started to full out hit me over the head with it :(. So I gave in and wrote it down, enjoy! :)  
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><p><strong><em>Now Comes The Night<em>**

Throck'tey, who had been cheering with his people as the invading Krarth fled back to the stars leaving his planet in peace once more, noticed the red haired, well built form of their savior as he tried to quietly slip through the crowd.

The young Shinthka ran to catch up with the man "wait!" he yelled. The man stopped just in front of his ship and turned to wait for Throck'tey.

"Sir, you inhaled a large amount of the gas the Krarth used to defend their vessels!" Throck'tey gasped out as he reached the man "please, let me find you a place to stay while you wait out the effects, it would be the least I can do after all you have done for us."

"There's no need" the man replied "the substance does not effect me the same way it does your people."

"You are sure?" Throck'tey asked uncertainly.

"I'm sure" the man replied "now, I really must be off, places to go things to see" he said smiling and opening the door to his ship.

"Please sir, before you leave, may I know the name of the man who has saved us?"

The man smiled softly"my name is the Doctor" he replied.

"Well Doctor, may our paths meet again." Throck'tey said, the customary goodbye of his home-world, while bowing his head slightly in respect.

The Doctor just smiled sadly in response before entering his ship and closing the door behind him. Moments later, Throck'tey watched in wonder as the small blue box in front of him faded away with a grinding-wheezing sound.

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><p>The Doctor had managed to send the TARDIS into the vortex just before his knees gave out beneath him, and he fell to the floor.<p>

He hadn't been lying when he told that young Shinthka that the gas surrounding those Krarth vessels affected him differently. He had just left out the part that differently meant, rather than sedating him, it would shut down both his hearts.

And, as if on cue, his right heart stopped.

He let in a shuddering breath, reminding himself that sacrificing his 13th and final life for the billions of that planet, who all only had on life to live, had been his choice, and it had been the right one.

He felt his left heart begin to slow.

And in that moment, he had never felt more afraid, or more alone, in all his lives. A tear slipped down his face as he wished for someone, anyone, to be there with him, to hold his hand, to keep him company in his final moments… He felt the tear that had been slipping down his face drip onto his hand, bringing him back to reality.

He shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind, not wanting to die wishing for something that couldn't be. Instead he shut his eyes, searching for a happy memory that he could hold close until it was over.

A young woman bathed in golden light appeared in his minds eye. He remembered her. The one who he had lost so long ago. The one who he never had the courage to tell just how much he had felt for her.

She stared at him tears streaking down her face as she said "I bring life." Then, to his dismay, her face began to fade.

He tried desperately to cling to her memory, but her face continued to fade until everything was dark.

He shivered, why was it so cold?

His body suddenly felt different, yet familiar, skinnier, younger. 'Another memory' he thought 'this time of a previous body...'

Something shifted, whether it was him, something near him, or both he couldn't tell.

He tried to open his eyes, but they felt like lead.

More movement.

He tried again and succeeded in opening his eyes a crack.

And saw her face, tears still falling, only more steadily and she was no longer bathed by the golden light.

He tried to reach out and touch her face but only managed to bring his arm an inch from the ground before it fell limply to his side. She seemed to understand, because she picked up his hand and placed it against her cheek. It was wet and hot to his now very cold skin.

In the back of his mind he knew this was nothing more than a memory of someone he lost, a hallucination of the second chance he longed for.

But at that moment he didn't care.

He had only moments left, whether she was real or not, this would be the last chance he would ever get to tell her. He had to take it.

"R-Rose Ty-ler, I- I love you." He said, barely a whisper, trying to put as much feeling into it as he could, knowing that those five words, would be the last he would ever speak.

She smiled down at him through her tears, still holding his hand to her face.

He smiled back, feeling silent tears falling down his own face.

He felt so tired.

He let his eyes fall shut, feeling more at piece then he had felt in so long, as the darkness engulfed him for the last time.

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><p>Jackie Tyler awoke to a chill deep down in her bones. How her daughter had managed to convince her to <em>camp<em> on the shoreline of this bloody beach, she had no idea.

Torchwood had reports that the people in the general area of Bad Wolf Bay, had all of their televisions, phones, emails, radios, anything that received a signal, raided by a wolfs howl and the date March 2.

Rose had insisted on being the one to investigate the phenomenon, despite everyone's objections, everyone insisting that their were plenty of other people to take this particular job. But once Rose sets her mind to something, their is no power in the universe that could stop her. Jackie had only just managed to convince her daughter to let her come along, and had only tried because of Rose's history with this beach. She shouldn't have to come back and confront the memories this place holds alone.

Jackie reached out to Rose's sleeping bag to wake her so they could get something to eat, preferably from somewhere warm…

But Rose's sleeping bag was empty.

"Rose?" Jackie called, glancing around the tent. No answer.

Jackie got up, grunting at the effort of moving her frozen joints, and exited the tent.

"Rose?" Jackie called again, looking in the direction of the small town further inland.

Seeing nothing there she huffed, tried to rub some warmth into her arms, and turned her head in the direction of the water. Freezing when she her daughter out in the distance on the beach, cradling something in her arms.

Cold and hunger forgotten, Jackie ran toward the two forms at full pelt.

She slowed down as she approached her daughter from the side. She could now tell that the thing her daughter was cradling was a man, wearing clothes clearly meant for someone with a much thicker build.

As she got closer she could see that Rose was crying as she held the man to her chest, her face smothered in his brown hair. 'It couldn't be'.

She was close enough now that she could see the mans face, and she recognized it immediately. 'It is'.

Jackie stood their in shock for a moment before Rose echoed her thoughts. "It's him Mum! It's really him!" Rose sobbed, voice muffled by a head of brown hair.

Jackie took in his ashen face, and Rose, still sobbing into his hair, rocking them both back and forth, and feared the worst. "Is he…" Jackie trailed off.

Rose shook her head "No." she said, lifting her tear stained face from his head to look at her Mum, smiling more genuinely then Jackie had seen her daughter smile in a long time.

"He's just unconscious. I-I think he's gonna be fine." Rose said as both she and Jackie stared down at the Doctors peaceful face.

_End._

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><p><strong>What? You didn't really think I was gonna kill him did you? ;)<br>**

**Reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed warmly :)! _  
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